Perfectly Dysfunctional
by ncismka233
Summary: After the BAU solves a case in Lake Gaston, involving the death of many young mothers, the sheriff offers them a week of free stay at one of the best houses on the lake. The team brings their families with them and everyone has a great time until disaster strikes. Rated K for language.
1. Chapter 1

Lake Gaston North Carolina

On one beautiful evening at Lake Gaston in North Carolina, the sun was almost gone and the Cutler family was starting a fire.

"Dad, when can we eat?" the young boy asked.

"We can eat these delicious hot dogs once mom gets back." his dad said.

"Where's mom?" the kid asked.

"At the store Zack, why don't you go skip rocks with your sister while we wait?" he said.

"Okay!" Zack said. He loved to skip rocks and he loved trying to teach his sister how to skip them. "Come on Alyssa!"

"Rocks!" she said. Zack grabbed a good size rock and threw it across the lake, He laughed at his three year old sister who was just chucking rocks into the lake. Zack looked around for more rocks and saw something floating by the boat dock.

"Score!" he whispered. He thought he saw a duck, so he grabbed a rock and quietly walked over to it. When the duck was in his vision, he took action. "Ahh!" he yelled and threw the rock so hard that he lost balance and fell in the water. "Oops." he said.

"Can I swim too?" Alyssa asked.

"Alyssa, I'm not swimming." Zack said. He looked up and didn't see the duck anymore, but he did see something floating by the jet ski. He swam over to see what it was.

"What's that?" Alyssa asked.

"I don't know." Zack said. It startled him when he saw a foot in the water. "Whoa! Dad!" he yelled.

"What's wrong?" Alyssa asked.

"Go get dad now!" Zack said. He started to cry when she left. "Mom?" He wasn't sure, but it looked like his mom.

FBI Headquarters Quantico, Virginia

About a week later, Penelope Garcia was presenting a new case to the Behavioral Analysis unit.

"Last week the body of Sarah Cutler was found tied to a jet ski. The same thing happened to four other families over the span of six months." she said.

"Was anyone ever reported missing?" Reid asked.

"Only the first two victims. Gretchen Mueller and Kendra Barrett were both reported missing after they didn't come back from the store." Garcia said. "There was also someone reported missing in the area about an hour ago."

"The sheriff is getting worried about this. The last victim was found by her eight year old son." SSA Jennifer Jareau said. "Everyone wants this guy caught."

"Which means we have no time to waste. Wheels up in thirty." SSA Aaron Hotchner said.

Everyone left and got all items necessary and boarded the jet. Reid got a drink and sat down next down to JJ.

"The sheriff is thinking of enforcing a curfew." JJ said.

"They sound pretty desperate." Rossi said. Garcia popped up on the screen.

"Greetings from your friendly neighborhood tech analyst." she said.

"Hey girl." Morgan said.

"Garcia, what do you know about the person who went missing?" Hotch asked.

"I know that his name is John Malesky, and that's about it." she said.

"Wait if the unsub is taking men now, he just changed his M/O." SSA Emily Prentiss said.

"Well if he just killed someone, this could be the start of a spree." Morgan said.

"This routine seems too consistent for him to deviate off of. The unsub probably experimented with his first few victims and found the perfect routine." Reid said.

"Alright, Reid and Dave go talk to the ME, Morgan and JJ go to the last crime scene, Prentiss and I will work victimology." Hotch said.


	2. Chapter 2

**I am very sorry this took me so long to type! I have a lot written, I've just been busy and haven't gotten around to typing it. There is more to come, mark my words! ~ncismka233**

Once the jet landed in North Carolina, the team headed to their separate destinations to investigate.

Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Shaun Marcus was sitting at his desk looking at a picture of the Cutler Family. He felt so bad for the family. He closed the file when his door opened.

"Thank God y'all are finally here." he said.

"Glad to help Sheriff. This is SSA Emily Prentiss, I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner." Hotch said.

"Sheriff Shaun Marcus. Listen, I want this bastard caught as soon as possible. He's causing a lot of panic." Marcus said.

"I can imagine." Prentiss said.

"How long has this been going on?" Hotch asked.

"At least six months. Four other families have lost their mother." he said.

"When was the last victim killed?" Hotch asked.

"About two weeks ago." Marcus said.

"He's waited at least 2 months between kills, something must have trigged him to start killing more quickly." Prentiss said.

"Is there somewhere we can work?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah just back here." Marcus said.

Medical Examiner's Office

"I've seen a lot of stuff over the years, but nothing like this." Dr. Denise Woods told Rossi and Reid.

"What makes you say that?" Rossi asked.

"Some things just don't make sense." she said.

"Did all the victims have the same COD?" Reid asked.

"Yes, all the victims died as a result of drowning." she said. "The odd thing is it seems like the guy tried to remove the water from their lungs."

"Were they given CPR?" Reid asked.

"No. All of the victims mouths and throats were severely damaged. I think he may have used a suction tool. He couldn't get all the water out, but he got some of it out." She said.

"Why would someone do that?" Rossi asked.

"That's above my pay grade." she said.

"Hey Rossi, look at this." Reid said. He noticed something on the wrists of Sarah Cutler.

"Ligature marks and no defensive wounds." Rossi said.

"Did all the victims have this?" Reid asked.

"Yes." she said.

"They all knew him." Reid said.

"Or trusted him." Rossi said.

Cutler Family Lake House

"Can you imagine finding your own mother dead?" Morgan asked.

"That poor kid." JJ said.

"His name is Zack. He was trying to throw a rock at a duck when he found the body." Morgan said.

"Kids will be kids. Alright, let's go." JJ said. She and Morgan sighed as they braced to talk to the mourning family.

"Robert Cutler?" Morgan said when the father came to the door.

"Yes, please come in." He said. Morgan sat down with him while JJ talked to the kids.

"I'm very sorry for your loss Mr. Cutler." Morgan said.

"I don't understand Agent Morgan. This feels like a nightmare I can't wake up from." he said.

"When was the last time you saw her?" Morgan asked.

"Sarah went to the store and never came back." he said.

"Is there anyone you've met since you've been here that may have seemed suspicious?" Morgan asked.

"We've been coming here for years. Everyone's always been real nice." he said. He started to cry again. "I don't understand who would do this."

"Hang in there. Your children need you more than ever right now. I promise you, we will find this son of a bitch. Do you mind if we look around your boat dock?" Morgan said.

"Go ahead." he said. As JJ and Morgan walked over to the deck, a man hiding behind a tree watched every move they made.


	3. Chapter 3

By lunchtime, everyone was at the station together.

"This unsub has a type. He kills the mother in young families." Prentiss said.

"What happened to John Malesky?" Reid asked.

"Oh they found him. He passed out on a run. Diabetic." Prentiss said.

"This unsub is too organized to go off pattern." Hotch said.

"If this started six months ago, something probably happened that made him start killing." Rossi said.

"You know this happened to four other families, I wonder if one of the kids found their mother dead in the other cases." JJ said.

"Maybe he wanted them found by their family. That's why he tied them to their own jet ski." Morgan said.

"And Gaston is obviously his comfort zone, maybe this area is significant to him. It's possible something happened to him here." Reid said.

"Let's have Garcia pull the files on every drowning in the past ten years that involved the death of a mother of two." Hotch said.

"I am on that." Morgan said as he pulled out his phone.

"Your wish is my command." Garcia said.

"How many wishes do I get?" Morgan asked.

"For you, infinite." she said.

"I just have one for now. We need every file on drownings that involve the death of a mother of two kids." he said.

"Wish granted, hit you later." Garcia said.

"You know the ME said that the unsub tried to remove the water from the victim's lungs." Reid said.

"Why would he do that?" Prentiss asked.

"Maybe he wanted to make sure that they were found. He probably didn't know how long it would be until the families found their loved one dead." Reid said.

"What are you getting at kid?" Morgan asked.

"Our lungs are filled with air which act as a floatation device, that's why we can float in the water. When the lungs fill with water, the body gets weighed down. After drowning, the body goes through a period of floating and sinking. Dead bodies can float anywhere from twelve to eighteen hours in the summer." Reid said.

"So basically what your saying is he was trying to re-inflate them?" JJ asked.

"So he could make them float longer?" Hotch asked.

"Pretty much. And he did it with a small suction tool. He either has medical training or works in some kind of construction or plumbing job." Reid said.

"Okay so he wants the bodies found by the family. And these files say that it was a different family member each time. Kendra Barrett was found by her husband." Prentiss said.

"He sounds like a sadist." Rossi said.

"I don't know." Prentiss said. "This seems more like he's trying to make families go through something he went through."

"Agent Hotchner!" Sheriff Marcus said urgently.

"What is it?" Hotch asked.

"Another woman just got abducted." he said.

"Abducted? So far we've had people go missing, but no reports of an abduction." Morgan said.

"She's a mom of two young kids, I think it's the same guy." Marcus said. They ran out and followed Marcus. They met at a young family's boat dock.

"Please, please help me!" a guy said as he ran up to the vans.

"Sir, sir, we're here to help. Can you tell me your name?" Morgan said.

"Matt Elliott, my wife is Kelsey and my kids are Blake and Jenna." Matt said trying to catch his breath.

"Wait your kids?" Morgan asked confused. He looked around and didn't see any kids.

"Are your children missing too?" Hotch asked.

"Yes!" he said crying. JJ walked up to him and tried to console him.

"Matt, my name is JJ. I know this is hard, but can you try to calm down to tell us what happened?" she said.

"Yes I'm sorry. We were about to take the jet skis for a spin around the lake when I saw this guy on the jet with my little girl. I've never seen the guy before, so I went to tell him to get lost or I would call the sheriff. He shot me in the leg and held gun to Kelsey's head so I wouldn't follow them." Matt said.

"Wait you were shot in the leg?" JJ asked. She looked down and saw blood dripping on the ground. "Alright Matt, listen to me. We will find your family, you need to get your leg treated."

Morgan and Reid decided to hop on the family's other two jet skis and look around the lake to see if they could find the Elliotts. They split up and met back in the middle of the lake.

"I don't see them." Morgan said.

"Neither do I." Reid said.

"Why do you think he took the kids?" Morgan asked.

"Maybe he is trying to recreate something that happened to him. He may be trying to send a message to other families." Reid said.

"Let's get back and see if Mr. Elliott finished with the sketch artist." Morgan said. They met the others back at the station.

"Anything?" Hotch asked.

"Nothing, he's keeping them hidden." Morgan said.

"It sounds like he might work here." Reid said.

"That would explain why none of the victims had defensive wounds, they trusted him." Rossi said.

"Also we think he may be trying to send the families a message of some sort." Reid said.

"We're ready to give the profile." Hotch said. They got Sheriff Marcus and got everyone in the department together.

"We're looking for a white male in his early twenties. He's fit and most likely works here, that's why the victims seemingly trusted him." Hotch said.

"He has some kind of background in working with tools, so look into people with medical training or handy men." Rossi said.

"He had some kind of stresser six months ago. It's like he has suffered from a tragic event." Prentiss said.

"He's confident and arrogant. We believe he took Matt Elliott's children to re-create something that happened to him when he was younger. He's trying to send a message of some sort." Morgan said.

"We have to work fast because we don't know what he plans to do with the children." Hotch said. They broke off and started compiling suspects. A woman who listened to the profile in the back of the room walked up to Hotch.

"Excuse me Agent." she said.

"My name is Erin Fuller, I volunteer to help here. I think may know who you're looking for." she said.

"Who is he?" Hotch asked.

"My older brother." she said.

"Your brother?" he said. They went and sat down in their work space.

"When we were younger, we used to come here all the time as a family. One summer my dad died in a jet ski accident." she said.

"How old was Kenny when this happened?" Hotch asked.

"He was eight and I was only three. I really don't remember much, I just know what my family has told me." she said.

"Did your mother do a good job of raising you after your father died?" Hotch asked.

"If you consider alcoholism as a good job, then yes. She excelled." Erin said sarcastically.

"She started drinking?" Prentiss asked.

"Yep." Erin said.

"Did you ever blame your mom for what happened?" Reid asked.

"Not me, but Kenny blamed her all the time." she said.

"That's probably the message. He's trying to tell families that mothers are weak and it should have been her that died in the accident. " Reid said.

"She died six months ago from alcohol poisoning. We never came back here until a few years ago. My boyfriend works here, so I like working here too." Erin said.

"Does Kenny work here?" Prentiss asked.

"Yeah, he works at the store not far from here." she said.

"Is there a specific house your family stayed at?" Hotch asked.

"No, we stayed in a few different places." Erin said.

"Which house did you stay at when your father died?" Reid asked.

"I was only three Dr. Reid." she said.

"Erin, thank you for all your help." Prentiss said. Hotch called Garcia after she left.

"Speak and be heard." Garcia said.

"Garcia, we need as much information as we can get on Kenneth Fuller." Hotch said.

"Okay… Kenneth James Fuller is twenty-two and currently resides in Henrico, North Carolina. He and his sister Erin Fuller lost their mother to alcoholism six months ago and his father died in a jet skiing accident when he was eight." she said.

"What house did they stay in when the father died?" Hotch asked.

"This just says that it's the house that's great for families." Garcia said.

"I know where that is." Marcus said.

"Seriously?" Garcia said. Everyone rushed to the house. Prentiss walked up to the first window of the house and saw a young girl who matched Jenna Elliott's description.

"Jenna Elliott is in there." Prentiss said.

"I got eyes on Blake Elliott. I don't see Fuller." Morgan said over the ear wig.

"You guys stay here, Emily and I will get the kids." JJ said. Jenna ran behind the couch when she heard someone coming in. She watched carefully as Prentiss and JJ came in. Prentiss ran to the back while JJ walked up to Jenna.

"Hi my name is JJ, I'm helping the police. What's your name?" JJ said.

"Jenna. I want my mommy JJ." she said.

"Where is your mommy?" JJ asked.

"With the scary man." Jenna said.

"We're going to get her. Your dad is outside, you want to see him?" JJ asked.

"Daddy!" she said. JJ picked her up and took her outside. JJ put her down and she ran to her dad. Prentiss was already outside with her brother. Matt Elliott breathed a sigh of relief when his children were back in his arms. Everyone was relieved that the children were found safe and unharmed, but now they had to find their mother.


	4. Chapter 4

The BAU team stood around the Suburban and discussed how to locate Kelsey Elliott.

"Alright we know that Fuller is trying to send a message that he thinks that the mother figure of the family is weak." Reid said.

"And if he's trying to re-create the ski accident, he's gotta be somewhere on the lake." Morgan said. Reid looked over Morgan's shoulder when he saw something move by the boat dock.

"Guys he's in the boat dock." Reid whispered. They ran quietly over to the boat dock. They caught Fuller tying her to the jet ski.

"Kenneth Fuller, FBI!" Hotch said. Kenneth got agitated and pulled out his gun. He pointed it at Kelsey Elliott and yelled,

"Don't come any closer!"

"Kenneth, we just want to talk." Hotch said. He put his gun away, but everyone else kept their gun out. "Kenneth, your mother wasn't there when you needed her." Hotch said.

"If you kill her, your going to make her kids go through the same thing." Morgan said.

"Back off or I'll do it." Fuller said. Morgan took a shot when Fuller started to pull the trigger. They untied Kelsey Elliott and got her back to her family with minor injuries. Everyone met back at the Sheriff's Office.

"Thank you so much Agents." Marcus said.

"Our pleasure." Hotch said.

"You know what, anytime you want to come down here I'll hook you up with a nice house." Marcus said.

"Thank you Shaun, that's very generous." Hotch said.

"You know guys, we do have about a week of vacation time." Morgan said.

"You want to use it this week?" Hotch asked.

"Why not?" Morgan said.

"Let's get back to DC and get ready for vacation!" Prentiss said. Everyone piled up onto the jet excited.

"I could use a break from serial killers." Reid said.

"I think all of us could." Morgan said. Hotch was already on the phone calling Haley.

"Hey honey, listen we just finished a case in Gaston and the sheriff offered us a free stay at a lake house." Hotch said.

"Really? Is family included?" Haley asked.

"If I want it to be." Hotch said.

"Oh my gosh, I could definitely use a vacation!" she said.

"We'll be home soon to get everything together." he said.

"Hi daddy." Haley put Jack on the phone.

"Hey buddy, we're all going on vacation and you can play with my friends." Hotch said.

"Yay!" he said.

"Are you sure about this Aaron?" Haley asked.

"Haley, I still love you." he said. It was a little over a year since their divorce. They still loved each other, it was Hotch's work that got in the way. JJ was doing the same thing as Hotch.

"Yeah we'll be home soon Will. Oh I can't wait!" JJ said.

"That's right baby, a whole week. I'll authorize a cell phone, but leave everything else tech related at home." Morgan said. As soon as Morgan hung up, Garcia popped up on the monitor.

"Is the vacation rumor true or is Morgan lying?" she asked.

"It's true Penelope." Emily said.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Morgan asked.

"Never. This just doesn't seem like reality." she said. After the jet landed, Hotch gave everyone an hour to get everything they needed. Rossi gathered a few things and put a leash on his dog Munchie. Reid gathered some of his favorite books and went straight back to the runway. Hotch and Haley did a majority of the packing since Jack was pretty much bouncing off the walls with excitement. JJ and Will got everything packed then stopped at the store to stock up on swim diapers for Henry. Morgan got what he needed then picked up Garcia from her house. When the hour was up, everyone was at the runway ready to go.

"Alright everyone ready for a break?" Hotch asked. He was holding Jack.

"Yes!" everyone said. They boarded the jet and headed to Lake Gaston. Once they landed, they drove to the Sheriff's Office.

"Garcia, am I allowed to see my son?" JJ asked.

"You see him all the time, it's my turn." Garcia said. She had been holding Henry the entire jet ride.

"My goodness this must be a close team." Sheriff Marcus said.

"You have a gun like my daddy." Jack said.

"Yes I do. What's your name young man?" he asked.

"This is my son Jack and his mom Haley." Hotch said.

"Thank you so much for this Sheriff." Haley said.

"My pleasure ma'am." Marcus said.

"And this is Penelope Garcia, our Tech Analyst." Hotch said.

"Nice to meet you ma'am. Is this your son?" He asked.

"He might as well be." JJ said.

"He's my godson." Garcia said. Marcus took everyone to the house and showed them around.

"This works for me." Will said as they looked around the house. Everyone put their stuff away and went outside. There was so much to do! Haley, JJ, Will, Garcia and Emily were lounging on the deck under the son. JJ stayed in the shade so she could spend time with Henry. Reid was laying in the hammock reading a book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

"Come on Reid, put the books away." Morgan said.

"We're here to relax, this is how I relax." Reid said.

"Aren't you worried you might get them wet?" Morgan asked. Reid put the book down and said,

"Not if I don't read near the water."

Without warning, Rossi came from behind and pulled Reid by his arm out of the hammock. Morgan grabbed his other arm and all three ended up in the water.

"That was fun." Morgan said as he caught his breath.

"Very clever." Reid said sarcastically. He saw Rossi's dog and thought of a way to get back at Morgan. "Munchie!" He yelled. Munchie barked and came running towards them. He nearly landed on top of Morgan when he jumped in the water.

"Rossi, help!" Morgan said. Hotch was with Jack, they had just got a power boat to use for water skiing.

"Can I drive?" Jack asked.

"Sure buddy." Hotch said. He put Jack on the driver's seat of the boat. They pulled up to the boat dock.

"Whoa Jack, that's an awesome boat!" Morgan said. Haley opened her eyes and walked over to the side of deck to see what they were doing.

"Jack, I didn't know you could drive. When did you get your license?" Haley said.

"Yesterday." Jack said.

"Is it water skiing time?" Morgan asked.

"You bet. Let's see how fast this thing can go." Hotch said.

"Derek is going first." Garcia said.

"Is there a reason for that?" Morgan asked.

"Darling, you have the abs of a god." Garcia said. Morgan laughed and got on the water skis. Everyone took turns water skiing and kneeboarding until it was time to eat. Reid was holding Henry while Garcia played with him. Rossi was cooking on the grill. Emily was sharing a bottle of wine with Will and JJ and Hotch was playing soccer with Haley and Jack.

"Hey Dave, you almost ready?" Hotch asked.

"Come and get it mia famiglia!" Rossi said. He put down a plate filled with hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hotdogs. Everyone grabbed something and when they settled, Rossi held up his glass of wine and said, "A toast to a well deserved vacation!"


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Jack was up bright and early. He had already put on his red Scooby Doo swimsuit, backwards. He jumped onto his parents bed to wake them up.

"Dad!" Jack said. "Daddy, wake up."

"Jack, why are up and dressed so early?" Haley asked sleepily.

"I want to play on the trampoline!" Jack said.

"What's going on?" Aaron asked.

"Daddy, let's go play on the trampoline." Jack said. Aaron pulled Jack down on his stomach and said,

"Buddy, we need to eat first. And Scooby is backwards."

"Dave made breakfast." Jack said. Aaron looked at the clock which read, 8:03.

"What did he make?" Aaron asked.

"Pancakes, bacon and lots of cool stuff!" Jack said. Hotch and Haley got dressed and fixed Jack's swimsuit and went to the kitchen. To their surprise, everyone was awake.

"Are we the only ones who wanted to sleep in?" Haley asked.

"No." Garcia said sleepily.

"Then why are you all awake?" Hotch asked.

"Because Rossi constructed a plan and had little man wake us up." Morgan said. Hotch sighed and knelt down to Jack.

"Jack, never listen to Dave before noon." he said.

"Oh come on Aaron, I made scones." Rossi said. They sat down and had a gourmet breakfast then before they knew it, they were all at the boat dock.

"You know guys I heard there's a big storm coming tonight." Reid said.

"Then let's make this day last." Emily said.

"There is something I've been wanting to try." Will said.

"What's that?" JJ asked. Will walked up to the edge of the deck and did a backwards dive into the water. Everyone cheered when he hit the water.

"Awesome!" Emily said. She ran up and cannon balled into the lake and everyone cheered again. Morgan was about to go and try it when he caught a glimpse at Garcia.

"What's up mama?" he asked.

"Nothing, I was just going to see if I missed any calls…" she said.

"You're scared to jump." Morgan said.

"No, I just have things to do." Garcia said.

"We're not supposed to be working Garcia." Hotch said.

"Fine." Garcia said. She went and tried to get Henry from JJ, but Morgan stopped her.

"You are not using your godson as a baby shield." he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked nervously. Morgan looked at Hotch and nodded. Hotch grabbed one of her hands and Morgan grabbed the other and they ran her to the edge.

"No, no, no, no, no!" she yelled. Before she knew it, Morgan and Hotch had thrown her off the deck and into the lake. She caught her breath and saw them laughing. "That was exhilarating. Never! I am never doing that again!" she said. Morgan turned to Reid who was smiling about what just happened.

"What are you laughing at pretty boy?" Morgan asked.

"What?" Reid asked still smiling. Hotch and Morgan grabbed Reid by the arms and threw him into the lake too. "Oh you're going to pay!" he said.

"Daddy, throw me off!" Jack said.

"Jack, it's kind of high." Hotch said.

"I'll catch him." Reid said.

"Yay!" Jack said as he ran up to the edge.

"Alright are you ready?" Hotch said.

"Ready!" he said.

"Ask Spencer if he's ready." Hotch said.

"Spencer, ready?" Jack said.

"Whenever you are." Reid yelled. Hotch threw Jack off to Reid.

"Oh!" Reid said when Jack splashed down. "Was it fun?"

"That was awesome!" Jack said as he hung on to Reid.

"Should I try it?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah!" Jack said. Hotch took Haley's hand and walked her to the edge. Morgan ran up to them and pushed them off.

"Derek Morgan, I'm going to kill you!" Haley said when she came up.

"Morgan, you just created your own vendetta." Hotch said.

"I'm strangely okay with that Hotch." he said. Morgan didn't know it, but Rossi snuck up behind him.

"Not if I feed you to the sharks." Rossi said before he pushed Morgan over the edge.

"Rossi!" Morgan yelled as he went down. Everyone cheered as Rossi jumped off too.

"Alright everyone calm down. Let's not drown Morgan." Hotch said.

"Thank you!" Morgan said as Garcia, Reid and Jack let him up from under the water. Jack hung onto Morgan's arm. "I have a Jack stuck on me." Morgan said. He swam over to the trampoline and threw Jack onto it. Hotch smiled when he saw how much fun everyone was having together.

"JJ, give the baby to Garcia so I can push you off the deck." Will said.

"Nice try. We'll just stay up here and watch you guys." she said. She was sitting up on the deck with Garcia and feeding Henry. Henry looked so cute in the hat that Garcia had bought him! Everyone was spending as much time as they could in the lake before the bad weather arrived. Morgan, Emily, Reid and Will decided to go waterskiing and kneeboarding. Hotch, Haley, Jack and Rossi alternated between jumping off of the deck and trampoline all morning. Garcia took a nap in the shade on the lounge chairs with JJ and Henry. A while after lunch, the dark, intimidating clouds rolled in.


	6. Chapter 6

"Damn it." Morgan said when he noticed the dark clouds. He drove the boat back to house.

"How was the water skiing?" Hotch asked.

"Reid wiped out every time." Morgan said.

"It's perfectly normal for beginners to wipe out." Reid said.

"Well let's get inside before it starts pouring." Hotch said. They all went inside and changed into dry clothes. Jack was in the family room downstairs playing with his Superman, Batman and Joker action figures. He got bored playing by himself, so he set them down and went to find someone to play with. He ran to find his parents in the other room.

"Daddy, can we play superhero?" he asked.

"Sorry bud, mom and I are busy. I bet Emily would love to play superhero." Hotch said.

"Okay." Jack said. He went to find Emily, but found Spencer first. He was sitting on the couch reading. "Spencer." Jack said.

"Hey Jack, what's going on?" Reid asked.

"Can you play superhero with me?" he asked.

"Sure, why not." Reid said. He followed Jack downstairs.

"Which superheroes do you have?" Reid asked.

"Superman and Batman. You be the Joker." Jack said.

"Why am I the bad guy?" Reid asked.  
"Because I said so." Jack said.

"Fair enough." Reid said.

"Batman is going to kill you!" Jack said.

"Jack, the Joker never gets killed. Batman fights him to defend Gotham City." Reid said. Jack looked at him. "Or he kills the Joker."

"Batman attacks!" Jack said. He threw himself onto Reid with his Batman action figure in his hand.

"Whoa, I didn't know that Batman attacked like that." Reid said as he fell over. Jack sat on Reid's stomach and said,

"Batman attacks!"

"No, no Jack don't do that." Reid said as Jack started tickling him.

"But it's fun." Jack said. Reid laughed and ticked him back. Hotch walked in when he heard a ruckus.

"Jack, what are you doing to Spencer?" he asked.

"Attacking him." Jack said.

"Hotch, your son is tickle torturing me." Reid said. Hotch smiled and walked around behind Reid and held his hands back.

"Wait what are you doing?" Reid asked.

"Get him Jack!" Hotch said.

"No! uhh, ah!" Reid said laughing. He was playing along with Jack, who wasn't very strong since he was only four.

"Daddy, help me." Jack said.

"I am helping you. You want me to attack him too?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah." Jack said. Reid got nervous.

"Why not." Hotch said. He jabbed his finger into Reid's side which made him flinch.

"Oh my God Hotch, please stop!" he said.

"Don't stop." Jack said. They all jumped when they heard a loud clap of thunder. Hotch let go of Reid as Jack ran into his arms. "I'm scared."

"Jack, thunder is nothing to worry about. Thunder happens when lightning…"

"Reid, he's only four." Hotch said.

"Right sorry." Reid said. He got up and walked over to the window.

"Jack, thunder can't hurt you. All my friends and mom are here. There's no place safer than here." Hotch said.

"Okay. Can we attack Spencer again?" Jack asked. Hotch looked up at Reid then back at Jack and whispered,

"I'll hold him down, you attack."

"Okay." Jack whispered back.

"Hey Reid, Jack wants to learn about thunder." Hotch said.

"Really?" Reid said. He walked back over to them and knelt down to Jack. "Jack, thunder happens when a lightning bolt…" Hotch pushed Reid back on the floor and held his hands back. "Not again!"

Jack jumped on Reid's stomach and said,

"Attack the Joker!"

"Get the Joker." Hotch said. Reid got nervous when Hotch put his hands under his knees. They started tickling him which was driving Reid crazy because he couldn't move.

"Stop!" Reid pleaded still laughing.

Meanwhile, Emily, Morgan, Garcia, Will and JJ were upstairs playing cards and Rossi was cooking while thunder rang through the grey sky.

"So much for a day on the lake." Morgan said.

"Well maybe it will be gone by tomorrow." Emily said. All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door, so Will got up to answer it.

"How you doing Sheriff Marcus?" he asked.

"I'm doing pretty good. How is everyone?" Marcus asked.

"We're all having a great time thank you sir." Will said.

"Great. Listen you guys should really stay inside. This storm is going to be really bad, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to leave." Marcus said.

"Thanks for your concern, but we'll be just fine here." he said.

"Alright. Stay safe." Marcus said.

"Who was that?" JJ asked when Will came back in.

"Sheriff Marcus. He said this storm is going to be real bad." Will said.

"Someone save the Joker!" Reid yelled from downstairs.

"What the hell are they doing down there?" Morgan asked.

"They're probably playing with Jack." JJ said. Morgan went downstairs to see what was going on. He saw Hotch holding down Reid while Jack tickled him. Morgan knelt down and snuck up on Jack.

"Whoa!" Jack said when Morgan pulled him off of Reid.

"Morgan, thank God!" Reid said as Hotch let him go. "That kid is relentless."

"Have you been torturing Spencer?" Morgan asked.

"Daddy helped." Jack said.

Morgan laughed and looked at Hotch.

"Well it looks like you defeated the joker." Hotch said.

"And I didn't know Reid was ticklish." Morgan said.

"Don't you dare come any closer! Did you come down to tell us something?" Reid said.

"The sheriff came to tell us that this storm is going to get bad." Morgan said.

"Well we'll be safe in here." Hotch said.

"Let's go have dinner." Morgan said.

"Is Rossi cooking again?" Reid asked.

"Yeah. I bet he can cook in his sleep." Morgan said.

"Dave, what are we eating?" Jack asked when they went upstairs.

"My famous spaghetti and meatballs!" Rossi said.

"Yummy!" Jack said. They ate another meal by Rossi and went to bed shortly after. Spending a lot of time on the lake wore them out. As it got later, the storm got worse. Rain was pouring, hail started to hit the dark roof, the only light in the whole area came from the bright flash of the lightning. The thunder was so loud it sounded as if it was threatening everyone. The wind was so violent is was knocking over trees and damaging anything it could. The BAU team had no idea how bad the storm would get.


	7. Chapter 7

**I am so sorry this took me so damn long to get up! I have been sidetracked with school and theatre and haven't made the time to get these chapters up cause I'm a bad person. The story is actually complete, but I am currently too tired to type the last three. I can promise another chapter, possibly two tomorrow night. Again sorry for the delays and also get excited because I just started writing another NCIS/Criminal Minds crossover! Expect that next week! Anyways, enjoy the read and leave a review letting me know what you think. :) ~ ncismka233**

Around two in the morning, the loud thunder woke Reid up. He sat up in his bed and looked out the big window next to the bed. Reid couldn't believe the strength of the storm.

"This can't be good." he said. Something about the storm gave Reid a bad feeling. He saw a big tree fall onto the boat dock. "Not good." he said. Another big tree falling near his window caught his eye. "Whoa!" he jumped off the bed and ran away before the tree crashed into the house. The loud crash woke up everyone in the house.

"What the hell was that?" Emily asked as she jolted awake.

"Wha, what's happening?" Garcia asked frantically. Reid ran into their room as the wind howled.

"Guys, we have to go! A tree just crashed through my window." he said.

"Are you okay?" Prentiss asked.

"Yeah, come on let's go." he said. They got everyone together and headed for the suburbans.

"Should we split up?" JJ yelled over the rain.

"No, we need to stay together." Morgan yelled as he got into the driver's seat. Everyone took a deep breath once they were in the car.

"This is crazy." Haley said.

"Do we have a plan?" Rossi asked.

"We can't stay in the van." Garcia said.

"Actually your car is the best place to be in a thunderstorm. If struck, the metal will make the lightning conduct around the car and not into our bodies. Just don't lay on the metal." Reid said.

"We should either go to the Sheriff's Office or get to higher ground." Will said.

"It's too dangerous to go anywhere." JJ said.

"Sleeping in here is the best option." Hotch said.

"This is not going to be comfortable." Garcia said. She was right, they weren't very comfortable, but they made it work. Everyone fell asleep while the storm raged outside. Morgan was the first to wake up in the morning. Not everyone was awake yet, but Morgan decided to drive over to the Sheriff's Office. The roads were flooded and it was still raining. Morgan drove up and saw the officers gathered together. Marcus saw the van in the corner of his eye.

"You all okay?" he asked.

"Yeah we're all safe. What about you guys?" Morgan asked.

"Um… a tree fell in the in the back and we lost one of our own." he said sadly.

"Sorry to hear that Sheriff. Is there anything we can do?" Morgan asked.

"We were just about to make rounds around the lake to make sure everyone's accounted for." he said.

"We can help with that. Just give us an hour." Morgan said.

"Appreciate it." Marcus said. Morgan got back to the van and everyone was awake and confused.

"What's going on?" Prentiss asked.

"Don't you remember we slept here last night because a tree crashed into the house?" he said.

"That would explain why Munchie's tail is in my face." Will said.

"I'll take the kids to a hotel in Emporia so they're safe." Haley said.

"Oh Haley, I can't ask you to look after Henry all day." JJ said.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'd love to watch him." Haley said. They got back to the house and got dressed. Haley took Jack and Henry to a hotel in Emporia, Virginia while everyone else split up to make sure everyone was safe and accounted for.

"Okay we all need to split up. If anyone is missing, write their name down and we'll meet back in four hours." Sheriff Marcus said. Hotch took out a map and assigned everyone to different areas to check.

"Alright JJ, you and Will take the houses here. Prentiss and Morgan, here. Rossi, you and Marcus here. Reid and I will check here with Garcia." he said.

"Sir?" Garcia said confused.

"There's not much tech involved in this Garcia. You'll be more useful in the field." Hotch said.

"Okay." she said.

"This feels weird. I'm used to watching your adventures through the comfort of my screens." Garcia said after they split up.

"Well this is one adventure we didn't plan on." Hotch said. About two hours in, Will and JJ walked up to a house with a tree smashed into it.

"Ooh, I hope everyone's okay." JJ said.

"This storm is giving me flashbacks to Katrina." Will said.

"Help me someone please help me!" a voice called out. Will and JJ ran up to the house to find the source of the call. A woman's leg was pinned under a fallen tree.

"We need medics and the fire department." JJ said over her walkie talkie.

"Ma'am just hold tight. Help is on the way." Will said.

"You don't understand, my baby is missing." she said crying.

"What's his name?" JJ asked.

"Cody, he's only twelve." she said.

"Were you two the only ones here?" JJ asked.

"My brother is here too. He's stuck and I don't know if he made it." she said crying. Will looked over and saw a guy unconscious. He ran over and checked his pulse.

"He's still alive." Will said.

"We've got two people who need immediate medical attention." JJ said over the walkie talkie. They left after the medics and firemen got there and met with the team.

"Okay if we combine all of these lists, there are fourteen people in total missing including three children." Reid said.

"Cody Harwick age twelve, Michael Easton age ten and Brenna Fenway age ten." Morgan said.

"We need to find everyone, but focus on the kids." Hotch said.

"The weather is going to get bad again tonight, so we need to work fast." Marcus said.


	8. Chapter 8

There weren't enough power boats, so Morgan and Prentiss took a canoe.

"Do you think the kids are okay?" Prentiss asked.

"I hope so, but we have to be realistic. That was a hard storm to go through on your own." Morgan said.

"Yeah." she said quietly. "You know, I've never really been in a canoe before."

"I can tell, I'm doing most of the rowing." Morgan said.

"Hey I'm doing my best, give me a break." she said. She looked up and saw something up ahead. "Wait Morgan, there's something over there."

"Who is it?" he asked. Prentiss looked at the pictures of the missing people.

"I think it's Cody Harwick." she said.

"Cody!" Morgan yelled. Cody looked up and saw two FBI agents.

"Cool you're from the FBI!" Cody said.

"Yes we are. My name is Derek Morgan. Are you okay?" Morgan asked.

"I cut my knee, but I'm okay. I fixed it with my first aid kit." he said.

"Are you a boy scout?" Prentiss asked.

"How did you know?" Cody asked.

"You're prepared." she said. He laughed.

"Come on kid, let's go back and see your mom." Morgan said. Meanwhile, Hotch, Reid and Rossi and Munchie were out looking for Brenna Fenway.

"Brenna! Brenna Fenway!" Hotch yelled.

"Hey guys we found Cody Harwick." Prentiss said over the walkie talkie.

"Great, his mom his at the hospital." Reid said.

"We'll take him." she said.

"And hurry, the storm is coming back." Reid said. He noticed that Munchie started barking, so he picked up his binoculars to see what he was barking at. He saw the body of a small girl.

"Guys, guys over there!" he yelled. Hotch looked over and quickly drove the boat over to her. Hotch jumped out and swam over to her and handed her limp body to Rossi. He laid her on the floor of the boat and Hotch started CPR. Rossi and Reid watched nervously as Hotch tried to revive Brenna. A few minutes into CPR, Brenna coughed up water and started to wake up. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brenna, can you hear me?" Hotch asked.

"Who are you?" she asked with a weak voice.

"My name is Aaron Hotchner, I'm with the FBI." he said.

"I want my mom." she said crying.

"Don't worry, that's where we're going." Hotch said. He wrapped a blanket around her then sat her down with Reid and Rossi.

"Let's hurry!" Reid yelled as the rain started to pour. They reached the Sheriff's Office where Brenna's parents were waiting for her.

"Brenna!" They yelled as they ran to her. The paramedics got to her first, but they followed her into the ambulance. Hotch, Reid, Rossi and Rossi's dog all ran into the Sheriff's Office.

"You guys okay?" JJ asked.

"Yeah we're fine. Where's Prentiss and Morgan?" Hotch asked.

"I don't know. They said that they found Cody Harwick and that they were coming back." JJ said.

"Did anyone find Michael Easton?" Reid asked.

"His mom had a mix-up, he was actually hiding in the closet. She's an addict and has no attachment to reality." JJ said.

"And you left him with her?" Hotch asked.

"His dad came down and picked him up." JJ said.

"How long ago did you talk to Prentiss and Morgan?" Rossi asked.

"About twenty minutes ago." JJ said.

"What if they're lost in the storm?" Garcia asked scared.

While the team wondered where they were, Morgan, Prentiss and Garcia were in trouble. The rain was pouring, the thunder was booming and the wind made Prentiss' hair fly everywhere.

"We need to get back to the Sheriff's Office!" Prentiss yelled over the rain.

"How? The wind is too strong!" Morgan yelled. The man powered canoe was being pulled away from dry land.

"We could swim back!" Cody yelled.

"No, the water conducts electricity! We can't risk being shocked!" Prentiss yelled.

"Then how do we get back?" Cody yelled. Morgan and Prentiss looked at each other because they didn't know what to do. Their walkie talkie got swept to the back of the canoe. JJ tried to call them, but they walkie talkie was giving nothing but static.

"I can't get them." she said.

"Garcia, can you track a walkie talkie?" Hotch asked.

"I can try to find out where the signal is coming from." she said.

Morgan looked around the canoe for the walkie talkie. He found it and tried to get through.

"Hello? Hello!" he yelled. The light on the walkie talkie went out.

"Derek, it's not working." Prentiss said.

"Well we have to do something." he said. The gust of wind knocked the canoe around.

"I have a plan, hold on!" Prentiss yelled. They fell to the bottom and tried to hide under the seats. Emily put Cody under her to protect him from lightning. The wind made them drift further and further away.


	9. Chapter 9

"Oh no, that's not good." Garcia said.

"What's wrong?" Hotch asked.

"I just lost their signal, it stopped transmitting." She said.

"Then how do we find them?" JJ asked. The lights started flickering on and off and then went out. Garcia watched sadly as her screen went black.

"We're screwed." she said.

"We have to go out and find them, it's the only option." Hotch said.

"Agent Hotchner, I know there's a kid involved here, but we can't risk putting more of us in danger." Marcus said.

"Then let's drive around the lake and see if we can find them." Rossi said.

"Let's go." JJ said. It had been hours since the canoe was pushed far away from the shore and was now very late at night. The canoe had drifted all the way to the forest of a state park and had washed on shore. Everyone in the boat was unconscious lying on the wet, leaf covered ground. Prentiss slowly began to come around and realized where they were. She put her hand on her head and said,

"What the hell happened?" She looked over and saw Morgan unconscious. "Morgan!" she ran over and felt a weak pulse. "Come on Derek!" she said as she started CPR. A few seconds later, he coughed up water and tried to focus his eyes.

"Emily? What happened?" he asked.

"The storm crashed the canoe." she said.

"Where's Cody?" he asked as he sat up. They frantically looked around and saw Cody still in the boat.

"Cody!" Prentiss yelled. She picked him up and laid him on the ground and started CPR. A few minutes later, he coughed up the lake water and opened his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked.

"The canoe crashed, but everything's going to be alright. Are you hurt?" Prentiss said.

"No, I'm fine. Where's my mom?" he asked. They all got up and started walking to try and find someone who could help them. They would have used the canoe to get back, but there was a giant crack on the side of it.

"Your mom is at the hospital. The tree fell on her leg, but she's going to be okay." Prentiss said.

"What about Uncle Dan?" he asked.

"He's going to be okay too." Morgan said.

"Oh good! He's the best!" Cody said.

"What about your dad?" Prentiss asked.

"He died in Iraq when I was little." he said.

"That means your dad is a hero." Morgan said.

"Yeah." Cody said smiling. A sudden flash of lightning made them jump.

"How are we going to get back?" Morgan asked.

"Do we even know where we are?" Prentiss asked.

"The map is gone." Morgan said.

"Follow me, I've gotten lost in the woods a million times." Cody said.

"Have you ever been lost during a thunderstorm?" Morgan asked.

"No. Hey watch out for copperheads and water moccasins." Cody said.

"I don't like the sound of that." Prentiss said. The rest of the team had circled around the lake looking for them twice.

"I don't see them." Hotch said annoyed as he stopped the car.

"Me either." Reid said.

"What now?" Rossi asked. Everyone sighed because they had pretty much run out of options. Reid perked up when he saw an ore floating their way.

"Hey weren't they in a canoe?" Reid asked.

"Yeah why?" Hotch asked.

"There's an ore over there. If we can find out what direction the wind was blowing, we can probably find out what direction the canoe went." Reid said.

"It is starting to let up." Rossi said.

"Let's go." Hotch said. Finally they were getting somewhere.


	10. Chapter 10

"Can you fix it?" Morgan asked. Cody was trying to fix the walkie talkie.

"No it's too damaged." Cody said.

"Can we please take a break? We've been walking forever." Prentiss asked.

"Yeah I could use a rest. At least it stopped raining." Morgan said. Prentiss sat down on a tree stump and tried to ring the water out of her hair. She got really scared when a water moccasin came into her vision.

"Aah!" she screamed and ran from it. She tripped over a fallen tree branch.

"Emily, what's wrong with you?" Morgan asked.

"Do you not see that snake?" she asked.

"Cool a water moccasin!" Cody said.

"Cody, do you know how venomous those things are?" Morgan asked.

"They have enough venom in their mouth to kill you." Cody said.

"Exactly, I'd hate to have an injury when we're stuck out here." Morgan said.

"It's a little late for that Derek." Prentiss said.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I hurt my ankle." she said.

"Can you walk at all?" Morgan asked. She tried to get up, but her ankle hurt too bad and was too weak.

"Ow!" she winced in pain. Morgan ran over and helped her get up.

"It is not our lucky day." he said.

"Do we even have a clue of where we are?" she asked.

"The storm stopped, let's go back to the canoe and try to fix it." Cody said.

"Cody, you have a really positive personality for your age." Prentiss said. She was struggling to walk, so Morgan stopped walking, bent down and picked her up by her legs to give her a piggyback.

"Whoa, Derek, I can walk just fine." she said.

"Prentiss don't be a backseat driver." he said. She laughed and said,

"Fine."

"Hey do you guys hear that?" Cody asked.

"Hear what?" Morgan asked. They stopped walking and listened carefully. They heard a faint sound of someone yelling their names.

"It's them! Run trusty steed, run!" she yelled as she hit Morgan's shoulder. They got to the water and saw Will and JJ in the distance. It was now morning.

"JJ!" Prentiss yelled. Everyone yelled louder and louder, but they were too far away. Cody put his fingers in his mouth and whistled very loudly, which got Will's attention.

"Awesome Cody!" Morgan said.

"Your mom will be so proud of you!" Prentiss said.

"Are you guys okay? What happened?" JJ asked.

"Emily broke her ankle." Morgan said.

"You don't know that for sure." she said as Will helped her into the boat. They all got in and headed back to the Sheriff's Office. Emily was taken to the hospital along with Cody where he reunited with his family, then everyone met back at the Sheriff's Office.

"Thanks for all your help. Sorry your vacation didn't work out." Marcus said.

"Don't be, we had a great time." Hotch said. They decided to meet Haley and the kids at the hotel in Emporia. They still had a few more days of vacation left, so they stayed at the hotel for a few nights before going back to DC. They were heading to the hotel.

"Cody is an amazing kid. I'm glad everything turned out okay." Prentiss said.

"I'm glad you guys are okay." Hotch said.

"Me too. I almost got bit by a water moccasin." she said.

"Seriously?" JJ asked.

"Yeah." she said. When they got to the hotel, everyone took a three hour nap then met in Rossi's room for dinner. Everyone sat around talking after dinner.

"This has been the craziest vacation ever." JJ said.

"Seconded. We all learned something though." Morgan said.

"What's that?" Hotch asked.

"That we're never off the clock from helping people and that Reid is ticklish." Morgan said.

"Don't touch me!" Reid said. They laughed and made their way to their own rooms. That was some of the best sleep they had ever gotten.


End file.
